Louisiana Baptist Convention
Annual Meeting
Nov. 10-11, 2014
First Baptist Church,
Lafayette, La.
Bylaw Amendment Change
The Executive Board will present the following Louisiana Baptist Convention Bylaw Amendment to the messengers at the annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention meeting at First Baptist Church, Lafayette, November 10-11.
According to Article VII of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Bylaws, amendments sponsored by the Executive Board shall be posted to the LBC website and published in one(1) issue of the Baptist Message no later than fifteen (15) days before the meeting of the Convention.
That the Executive Board of the Louisiana Baptist Convention recommend to the Louisiana Baptist Convention meeting at First Baptist Church, Lafayette, November 10-11, 2014, that the duties of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Committee on Louisiana Baptist History be assigned to the state mission services staff and that Article III, Section 8 of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Bylaws regarding the Committee on Louisiana Baptist History be deleted and that Article II (Permanent Plan of Organization of the Convention and its Committees and Boards) be amended as follows:
Permanent organization of the Convention shall be … [Read more...]

ubmitted by philip on Fri, 10/03/2014 - 11:31
Volunteer Dorothy Wargo (far right) dishes up food at Ozanam Inn, or ‘The Oz,’ as part of First Baptist Church of New Orleans’ hunger ministry to its neglected neighbors. The church uses Southern Baptist Global Hunger Relief funds at the Oz and one other fixed feeding location as well as to help provide meals for the homeless and homebound. Also pictured are volunteers (from far left) Rufus Johnson, Jerry Seetin, Beth Akin and Victor Mitchell.
By Kristen Camp, Baptist Press
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Victor is one of thousands of people left homeless and hungry after Hurricane Katrina stormed through New Orleans in 2005. The trauma drove Victor to become significantly dependent on alcohol. He began to seek help from a feeding ministry at Gentilly Lowe’s, a neighborhood in Louisiana that was severely damaged by Katrina.
This feeding ministry falls under the umbrella of The Care Effect, one of a dozen community engagement ministries First Baptist Church of New Orleans uses to serve its neglected neighbors. Nearly 100 volunteers assist each week, some of which are church members while others are community residents.
“The Care Effect was born when our staff began to pray and … [Read more...]

By Joe Westbury, Baptist Press
MOUNT VERNON, Ga. (BP) – Brewton-Parker College has been notified that it will remain an accredited member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) while appealing its accreditation status.
Brewton-Parker, one of three educational institutions affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention, was notified of the decision Sept. 29 – 103 days after it learned on June 19 that SACSCOC was suspending its accreditation.
In a prepared statement on Sept. 30, Brewton-Parker stated it had been informed that “the Appeals Committee of SACSCOC ordered a remand of the decision of the Board of Trustees of SACSCOC to remove Brewton-Parker College as a member. Brewton-Parker’s case will now go to the Committee on Compliance and Reports of SACSCOC for reconsideration.”
The statement further noted that the effect of the decision is to continue BPC’s accreditation, on probation, as it existed before the June 19 vote by SACSCOC trustees.
Peter Lumpkins, vice president of communications at the south Georgia college, said it had presented new material evidence demonstrating improvement in its financial position that “warranted a remand and the continuation of its … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 10/03/2014 - 11:34
By Baptist Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Compensation for full-time Southern Baptist pastors has not kept pace with inflation over the past two years, while salaries for other full-time ministers and office staff increased at a rate higher than national inflation.
These findings are part of the 2014 Southern Baptist Convention Compensation Study, an in-depth survey of 12,907 staff members in Southern Baptist churches. Baptist state conventions along with LifeWay Research and GuideStone Financial Resources conduct this survey every two years. All the data acquired by the study has been compiled into an online tool at LifeWay.com/CompensationSurvey.
Compensation
Adjusting for church size (see Methodology below), the average full-time Southern Baptist senior pastor’s compensation (salary and housing) rose 1 percent between 2012 and 2014. That rate of change was significantly lower than the 3.9 percent inflation rate for the same two-year period, according to figures supplied by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index.
According to Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, “While inflation has remained moderate by historical standards, average salaries … [Read more...]

By Mark Kelly, Baptist Press
EDITOR’S NOTE: On World Hunger Sunday, Oct. 12, Southern Baptist congregations will address the hunger crisis across North America and around the world, many by focusing on the theme Hunger Happens Everywhere. Donations received are channeled through Global Hunger Relief, which uses 100 percent of each gift to meet hunger needs. For more information, visit www.globalhungerrelief.com.
NASHVILLE (BP) – With World Hunger Sunday (Oct. 12) approaching, churches and other groups who want to engage the global hunger crisis have a variety of free and inexpensive resources available to them.
Global Hunger Relief, the new cooperative initiative of Southern Baptist hunger ministries, offers a range of resources on its website, www.globalhungerrelief.com.
Visitors will find a range of free promotional resources available – from bulletin inserts and children’s coloring pages to videos and the long-popular soup can labels.
Access to art files useful in creating customized promotional items and a GHR display booth also are available.
The GHR website also prominently promotes a Hunger Happens Everywhere campaign (www.helpghr.org/now) that helps churches engage hunger needs both globally and locally through the … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor
Are you willing to be ridiculed for your beliefs? Are you prepared to take a loss in exchange for remaining true to your faith?
It seems these questions will one day have to be reckoned with considering that religious intolerance is on the rise in the United States.
There really is no dispute that in America some are advocating for religious restraint when it comes to the practice of religion. Private expression is just fine. However, some insist the public expression of religion must be regulated by government.
Consider that four years ago the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a California university could force Christian groups to accept non-Christian leaders.
In essence, America’s high court said that faith-based organizations, specifically Christian groups, could not enforce faith or belief standards on those who would provide leadership for their organizations.
In light of the SCOTUS ruling, the California State University System recently required all organizations to adopt an all access policy in order to be officially recognized by the campus on which they operated. InterVarsity, a well-respected Christian organization refused to comply.
Leaders with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship announced … [Read more...]

By Jimmy Draper, President Emeritus LifeWay Christian Resources
Here is an impossible dream: to think we can change our nation and our world simply by being present without being passionate and evangelistic in our faith and actions.
The mere presence of Christian institutions has never been a deterrent to the downfall of nations. In fact, the opposite is true. Consider:
Muhammad, the father of Islam, grew up in the sixth century, untouched by the Christian churches that surrounded him.
Abdiyal Akbar Abdul-Haqq, author of “Sharing Your Faith with a Muslim,” wrote, “The evangelistic fervor and missionary fire of the church of the earliest centuries began to cool off gradually as she started on a course of increasing secularization.”
When the church was confronted with the growing influence of Islam, it believed its presence was enough to make a difference.
As Samuel Moffett, professor at Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea, noted: “Faced with a choice between survival and witness, the church chose survival. It turned in upon itself. It ceased to evangelize.
It survived, but what survived was no longer a whole church. It was a sick, ingrown community” (quoted at findthepower.net).
Communism arose at a time when … [Read more...]

By Ralph Tone, Phoenix-based church partner for LifeWay Christian Resources
A lot of us remember the story of Daniel in the lion’s den as a great Sunday School lesson for kids. And it is!
But did you know that Daniel was about 80 years old when he was tossed to the lions? Eighty years old.
Daniel is not just an example for children. He is also an inspiration for all of us older folks who long to “finish the race” well, as the Apostle Paul would say.
Here are three truths from Daniel in the lion’s den that will help us cross the finish line with a strong stride – no matter what our age!
First, Daniel the octogenarian glorified God by maintaining a robust prayer life.
Why was Daniel thrown to the lions anyway? Because he was a man of prayer. His crime?
He refused to pray to the state-sanctioned idol. Instead, he went into his prayer closet and lifted his voice to God.
The winds of political correctness never altered his devotion to God. Daniel, the 80-something prophet, made prayer a daily priority.
When we were missionaries, we had a prayer supporter named Marge. Marge was an elderly woman who lived in Vermont.
She had limited mobility and an unlimited desire to serve the Lord.
Marge’s ministry tools consisted of two … [Read more...]

By Susie Hawkins, Author of From One Ministry Wife to Another
Social media has radically altered the cultural landscape. As ministry wives, we have an unparalleled opportunity via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to contribute to the good of our church, family and community.
However, as in everything, social media also can cause great harm.
It’s wise to step back occasionally and evaluate how we are leveraging our leadership platform through these connections.
Here are four things to remember – the “DO”s of social media:
n DO #shareyourlife (appropriately, of course). Social media offers a place for us to share our interests, family news, photos and our life in general.
These posts enable our church family and community to identify with us and discover who we are. Conversely, it makes us aware of what is happening in the lives of others.
n DO #useyourplatform to engage in meaningful conversations. This is one of the primary advantages of social media – a spiritual leader can address current/cultural events immediately and help others process them through a biblical lens.
Using social media for purposeful conversations is effective, helpful and contributes to a strong presence online.
n DO #thinkstrategically. How can … [Read more...]

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Editorial

By Ron F. Hale
It was on Ravi’s seeming death bed in Delhi, India, that a man walked into his hospital room with a little red Gideon New Testament. At the age of seventeen, young Ravi had downed a concoction of poison mixed with water and chemicals. Growing up in a culture of honor and shame, Ravi’s … Continue Reading.